Ref: 75/2010 

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the Palestinian
police’s interception of a peaceful demonstration organized in Ramallah by the
Follow-up Committee in protest to a decision taken by the Palestinian National
Authority (PNA) decision to participate in direct negotiations with Israel, and
the detention of a member of the Committee. PCHR also condemns the disruptions carried out by groups claimed their
affiliation to the Fatah Youth Movement during the sit-in called for by the
Follow up Committee. PCHR further calls
upon the government in Ramallah to respect public freedoms and emphasizes that
the right to peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of opinion and
expression are guaranteed under the Palestinian Basic Law and international
human rights standards.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 12:00 on Wednesday 25 August 2010, about 250 persons, including a
number of members of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO), secretaries  general
of a number of political parties and factions, figures from the civil society
and independent figures, gathered in the
Protestant Church hall in Ramallah to organize a peaceful demonstration and to hold
a press conference in protest to the PNA’s decision to participate in direct
negotiations with Israel. Dozens of
persons in civilian clothes, carrying pictures of the Palestinian President,
Mahmoud ‘Abbas, and radios, broke into the hall, repeating cries of the “Fatah
Youth.” They entered the hall, some
of them mounted on the theater, organized Dabka (from the Palestinian
folklore) and accused the attendees of preparing for a (conspiracy) conference
against the PNA, and of being (spies for Syria and Iran). As a result, the attendees went out of the
hall and headed to Rokab Street in the center of Ramallah. While they were walking in the said street,
two civilian vehicles intercepted them; one of the cars has a governmental
registration plate and its driver kept pressing on the horn to disrupt the
demonstration. Later on, many police vehicles
arrived and opened their horns, and then the policemen got out of the cars, intercepted
the demonstration, and arrested Dr. Mohammed Jadallah, a member of the Follow-up
Committee, put him in the car by force and transported him to an unknown
destination.

Thereafter, members of the Follow-up Committee, secretaries
of parties and factions and representatives of independent figures headed to
the main office of the Agricultural Relief Committees in Ramallah to hold a
press conference on their opposition of direct negotiations and to explain what
had happened in the demonstration. Immediately, security forces headed to the area and surrounded the
offices of the Agricultural Relief. After
convening the conference, participants left the place and security forces left also.

In light of the above, PCHR:

1) Strongly condemns the disruption carried out by groups
claimed their affiliation to the Fatah Youth in the sit-in that was called for by
the Follow-up Committee, and emphasizes that civilians have a full and legal
right to convene public meetings and organize sit-ins and peaceful demonstrations
in accordance with the legal rules;

2) Strongly condemns the Palestinian police’s interception of
the demonstration that followed the sit-in, and further condemns the detention
of Dr. Mohammed Jadallah, who is known as one of the Palestinian national figures
in Jerusalem;

3) Emphasizes that the police has no right to license or reject
any public meeting, peaceful demonstrations, or any other type of peaceful
assembly, and that the law provides that organizers should only
“inform” the governor or police, as the police has the right to take
measures to “organize the traffic”; and

4) Is concerned over the recurrence of attacks against the
right to freedom of opinion and the right to peaceful assembly, and stresses
that they are guaranteed under the Palestinian Basic Law and international
human rights standards.